Included in your membership
hs-CRP: Measuring Low-Grade Inflammation in the Body
All NiaHealth tests are processed in Canadian-certified labs, which are highly trusted by the medical community for their accuracy and reliability. Blood and urine samples are collected by licensed medical professionals and processed using state-of-the-art equipment. NiaHealth is SOC2 Type 2 certified.
What is it?
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a blood test that measures very low levels of C-reactive protein, a protein your liver produces when there is inflammation in the body. Levels can rise quickly with infection or injury, but they can also be mildly elevated for long periods of time when chronic, low-grade inflammation is present.
Why it matters
hsCRP is considered the gold-standard marker of systemic chronic inflammation. It is a sensitive but non-specific marker, meaning it cannot identify where inflammation is occurring but can detect that it exists. Higher hsCRP levels have been strongly linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke, and are widely used in cardiovascular risk assessment.
Reference ranges
These ranges reflect recommendations from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the American College of Cardiology, and the most current research evidence.
What a higher result can mean
- If your hsCRP is ≥2 mg/L, this suggests higher inflammatory burden and increased risk of ASCVD
- If your hsCRP is >10 mg/L, this often suggests an acute issue (like infection, recent injury, or an inflammatory flare) rather than long-term cardiovascular risk. In that case, hsCRP is usually rechecked once you’re well (often after ~2–3 weeks).
Mensah, G. A., Arnold, N., Prabhu, S. D., Ridker, P. M., & Welty, F. K. (2025). Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: 2025 ACC scientific statement: A report of the American college of cardiology. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.08.047
Pearson, G. J., Thanassoulis, G., Anderson, T. J., Barry, A. R., Couture, P., Dayan, N., Francis, G. A., Genest, J., Grégoire, J., Grover, S. A., Gupta, M., Hegele, R. A., Lau, D., Leiter, L. A., Leung, A. A., Lonn, E., Mancini, G. B. J., Manjoo, P., McPherson, R., … Wray, W. (2021). 2021 Canadian cardiovascular society guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults. The Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 37(8), 1129–1150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2021.03.016
This information is educational and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Your results should be interpreted with a qualified healthcare professional in the context of your health history.
